Share This Story!

12 Questions with Elliott Sadler

Our series of NASCAR driver interviews continues this week with Elliott Sadler, who is currently second in the Nationwide Series point standings for Joe Gibbs Racing. Q: When you're on a long green-flag run

Our series of NASCAR driver interviews continues this week with Elliott Sadler, who is currently second in the Nationwide Series point standings for Joe Gibbs Racing.

Q: When you're on a long green-flag run and not racing around anyone, what do you think about?

A: You're really thinking about how your car is changing on a long run: Where can I move around on the track and pick up speed? I'm getting information from my spotter, and he's saying, "The leader is running this time and you're running this time." So in your head, you have to move around to find some speed.

You start to search on different parts of the track, and we also have switches on the dash that will help us make the car looser or tighter, so you start playing with them a little bit.

It's not like we just ride, man. I wish I could tell you, "We just ride, changing channels on the radio." (Laughs)

Q: Fans sometimes come up to you and want to discuss a moment or race from your career. Which one comes up the most?

A: It's the same one every damn time — that flip at Talladega (in 2003). No matter where I go, what I'm doing, somebody will either have a picture or say, "I remember Talladega" or "I was at Talladega when you flipped down the backstraightaway!" That is brought up to me more than anything I've ever done in my career.

The second most is the wreck at Pocono (in 2010). But Talladega by far outweighs it. I've signed thousands and thousands of that picture — me, upside down, with the bottom of my car showing, nose down, flying through the air.

The aftermath of the Pocono wreck you mentioned was recently featured in NASCAR's "Twist" commercial, which was played frequently. Did it bother you to watch it over and over again?

I don't really look at it that way. I'm just kind of glad we made it through that one. That was a hard hit, no SAFER barrier, and the way I hit in the corner hurt. I mean, that really hurt.

As a driver, you actually kind of know what it's going to feel like when you spin out and hit something. So when AJ (Allmendinger) hit me and spun me through the grass, I was kind of looking at the guardrail and was like, "Yeah, I know what this is going to feel like" and was getting myself prepared. But when I hit, it was like this (smacks hands together in a loud clap).

It was like, "Oh, s---. That's a lot worse than what I thought I was going to hit. What the hell?" And I got out and saw where it hit, it was on a corner. See, from inside the car, I couldn't really see the corner where I was going to hit. So I just thought I was going to glance off the guardrail and just keep spinning.

So that really hurt. But to see it on TV? That's no big thing. It's a been there, done that sort of thing.

Q: If someone paid you $5 million to design a new racetrack and gave you an unlimited budget, what kind of track would you build?

A: I would design the old Bristol, just make it about a three-quarter mile track where the straightaways are a little bit longer. But I'd make it exactly like the old Bristol, where you had the bumps and humps and your car did so many different things. It was probably the most challenging racetrack, but also the most fun racetrack I've ever raced at.

Q: If you had a day off to do anything in the world you wanted — but you were not allowed to race — what would you do?

A: You know what I like to do? I like to hang out at these country music festivals. They bring in one big band after another. Like Nashville has that (CMA Music Festival). If you could just have like front row tickets for that for the whole day, for like 10 of the best country bands, that would be a big-ass party.

Q: You get to have a lot of cool experiences away from racing through your job as a NASCAR driver. What's one that sticks out?

A: I'm definitely spoiled. At a lot of the concerts we go to, we get to go backstage and say hello and see our buddies. We usually have good seats at concerts and basketball games.

But honestly, one of the neatest people I've met is Larry the Cable Guy. I had gone to one of his shows before I knew him, and then we ended up meeting and now we text or tweet each other all the time. My wife (Amanda) thinks it's hilarious because I'm like, "Holy s---, Larry the Cable Guy just texted me!" So that's a cool perk, to get to see some of those people who are also huge race fans.

Q: When you go home after a bad day at the track, do you vent to someone about it or just keep it to yourself?

A: I do vent, mostly to my poor wife, about things we could have done better or how I wished the weekend would have gone a certain way. It's usually a small, short venting session and then it's over with. My wife will just say, "Hey, good job today. Tough luck. Go get 'em next week."

I don't vent at all around my kids. I keep my kids 100% separated from my racing. When I get home, it's all about being Dad. It doesn't take but a few minutes around your kids and that day is almost (out of mind).

Sometimes I vent to Brett (Griffin, Sadler's spotter and manager) too, but that goes both ways. I cuss him out and he cusses me out. (Laughs).

Q: If you could point to another driver in the garage as a good example for your children, who would it be?

A: That's an easy, easy question — it's Jimmie Johnson. He is absolutely the nicest, most down-to-earth, humble guy we have in our garage. And probably has all the right to be the most stuck-up guy in our garage — but he is absolutely the opposite. You can call him I think any day or time and he would have time for you and help you out with any situation you need. He is probably the biggest class act right now there is.

Q: When you stand around with other drivers and tell old racing stories, what's one of your favorites to tell either about something that happened to yourself or someone else?

A: A great story happened to me at the Daytona 500 about 10 years ago — I'll never forget it. So we're standing there for driver introductions, and we're in our uniforms behind the stage.

Mark Martin comes up to me and says, "Hey man! You got 50 cents?" I didn't even think to ask, "What the hell do you need 50 cents for?" So I felt around in my pockets but I was like, "Mark, I don't have any change in my suit right before the race."

He goes, "No, no! The album, man! 50 Cent!" And I'm like, "What the hell are you doing listening to 50 Cent? I have it, but why do you have it?" And that's when I first found out what genre of music Mark Martin listens to during his workouts. (Laughs)

Q: What's a TV show you're really into right now?

A: I love Modern Family. It's cool Eric Stonestreet is a race fan and follows NASCAR. We always try to take time and watch it. Great, great show.

Q: What's the last movie you saw — either at home or in the theater — and was it any good?

A: (Points to the TV screen in his motorhome) Well, I'm watching one right now. Rush Hour. We're laughing like hell. Chris Tucker is one of my all-time favorite actors. We've been dying laughing at Chris Tucker's lines.

At home, all I'm allowed to watch is Disney stuff, so…

Q: If you could give a piece of advice to your younger self — something you know now that you didn't know then — what would it be?

A: Take care of your body more. In your early 20s, you can do whatever — you're never sore, you're never hurting. But I wish I had stretched more, taken care of my body, maybe eaten a little better back then. I've had to work harder the last five years to get my body where I want it, but I wouldn't have had to do that if I had taken better care of myself 15 years ago.

Q: I've been asking each person to give me a question for the next interview. Last week was Greg Biffle, and he wanted to know: "If you could drive any car in the garage, which one would it be?" And he said not to pick the No. 48 car, because that's too easy.

A: (Laughs) Well, I think it would be the 4 (Kevin Harvick's car) right now, wouldn't it? I'd like to drive the 4 right now just to see what they're doing to create so much speed every week.

Q: And do you have a question for the next person? It's with Danica Patrick.

A: Yeah. It's a two-part question, Danica: Do you have to pee during the race like the guys do? And if you do have to go, what do you have to do if you need to use the bathroom?